As soon as HBO realized Westeros was the most popular fantasy realm on television, it was only a matter of time before the Game of Thrones spinoff ideas began to circulate. As the series neared its final season, those ideas began shape. Five prequels were reportedly on the table, but in July 2018, four of those got the Red Wedding treatment, with only the "Golden Age of Heroes" approved.
There is already a pilot order for the series. Although the Game of Thrones prequel facts are limited at the moment, there’s still plenty to parse through despite a lack of new Game of Thrones scenes to decipher.
With a pilot on the way and more series apparently in the works, the notion of a prequel series moves far beyond GoT fan theories and now seems like an inevitability. After all, why wouldn’t HBO want to keep cashing in on the world of George R. R. Martin?
Photo: user uploaded image
October 5, 2021 - HBO Releases The First Official Teaser For 'House of the Dragon'
After years of reporting, rumor, and build-up, HBO finally gave fans a glimpse of what they can expect from House of the Dragon via the series' first teaser trailer. The highlights? An ominous voiceover, a bit of swordplay, a brief look at the Iron Throne (two centuries before we last saw it), and Matt Smith looking very much at home as a Targaryen.
The prequel series will officially arrive in 2022.
December 11, 2020 - Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, And Emma D’Arcy Join 'House of the Dragon'
For HBO's House of the Dragon prequel series, Deadline reports that Matt Smith will appear as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, and Emma D'Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. These three actors will lead the show, along with Paddy Considine (King Viserys Targaryen).
The show will also follow a fifth lead, Lord Corlys Velaryon (AKA the "Sea Snake"), though an official casting has not been announced. It is rumored that Penny Dreadful's Danny Sapani is in the running.
As of this writing, the first 10-episode season of House of the Dragon is still set to debut sometime in 2022, with production beginning in 2021.
In October 2020, Deadline reported that actor Paddy Considine will star as King Viserys Targaryen in House of the Dragon, a prequel series set 300 years before Game of Thrones. The first season will contain 10 episodes and is scheduled to debut in 2022. On its website, HBO notes that writers George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal are the co-creators on the series, with Miguel Sapochnik and Condal serving as showrunners and executive producers. Deadline offered the following summary for the series:
King Viserys Targaryen [is] chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen, at the Great Council at Harrenhal. A warm, kind and decent man, Viserys only wishes to carry forward his grandfather’s legacy. But good men do not necessarily make for great kings.
While HBO did film a pilot for Bloodmoon, another prequel starring Naomi Watts, the network ultimately decided not to move forward with the project. Of the four Game of Thrones prequel series in development at HBO, House of the Dragon is the only one to get the green light so far.
October 30, 2019 - There Could Be More Krakens, Giants, Direwolves, And Even Ice Dragons
Just because dragons might not have a place in the Game of Thrones prequel doesn’t mean other magical creations won’t show up. From George R. R. Martin’s writing in The World of Ice and Fire, fans know giants and direwolves were much more populous in Westeros, so expect to see plenty of them.
More dubious stories include rumors of krakens, leviathans, and even ice dragons, so there could be some outright monsters lurking in Westeros’s long and shadowy history.
March 28, 2019 - HBO Adds 13 Rising Stars To The Cast
On January 8, 2019, The Hollywood Reporter announced that eight up and coming actors were cast for the Game of Thrones prequel. New series regulars include Naomi Ackie (who Star Wars fans will see in J.J. Abrams's next installment), Jamie Campbell Bower (known for his roles in Sweeney Todd and Twilight) Sheila Atim (Harlots), Ivanno Jeremiah (from Black Mirror and Humans), Georgie Henley (seen in The Chronicles of Narnia), Alex Sharp (To The Bone), and Toby Regbo (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald).
Two months later, Deadline announced five more stars including Marquis Rodriguez (from Netflix's Luke Cage and Iron Fist), John Simm (best known as The Master on Doctor Who), Richard McCabe (Harlots), John Heffernan (The Crown), and Dixie Egerickx (Patrick Melrose).
Aside from the fact that each of these actors were cast as series regulars, not much else is known about their specific roles in the show. Additionally, SJ Clarkson, who has directed episodes of Jessica Jones and Succession, has been tapped to direct the pilot.
November 19, 2018 - It's Tentatively Titled 'The Long Night' - And It Might Not Have Dragons
While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, author George R.R. Martin revealed some potential plot points for the Game of Thrones prequel.
The show, tentatively titled The Long Night, is set 5,000 years before the events of Game of Thones. Martin said that "Westeros is a very different place," than what GoT fans are familiar with, and gave viewers a taste of what the world will be like:
There's no King's Landing. There's no Iron Throne. There are no Targaryens - Valyria has hardly begun to rise yet with its dragons and the great empire that it built. We're dealing with a different and older world, and hopefully that will be part of the fun of the series.
This doesn't necessarily mean there will never be dragons, but viewers shouldn't hold their breath for the fire-breathing beasts in the first season.
